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Saturday 7th June, 2025

Hi

Planting new season's: Roses, Trees, Projects ... The dos the don'ts and the maybes 
We often get asked about planting new season's Roses. For many this means preparing the planting position quite some time ahead. For example, digging the bed over and adding Compost. This is good provided that the organic matter used is well composted and thoroughly mixed through the soil profile.
Often at this time of year I will suggest not to add compost at planting time as using too much, or failing to mix through adequately, may well result in the soil holding too much moisture for the new developing feeder roots. This could potentially cause the new roots to just rot away, causing the plant to collapse. Off course this is all relative to the soil structure that you may have, as a quite sandy soil profile will benefit from the addition of quality organic matter. Often with new rose plantings in heavier wetter soils you may want to add your compost to the top, rather than in the planting hole, and then let nature, i.e.  earthworms and micro-organisms, incorporate it more slowly.

 
Typically a new season's rose will have had its roots trimmed so that it can fit into a bag and, in the quality potting mix that we purchase, the feeder roots will develop quite quickly. When you go to plant your new roses, the potting mix may well all fall away and I always recommend using this in the planting hole as it is full of nutrients. Again, mix this through the soil.
Trimming the roots prior to bagging in my experience actually tends to stimulate root growth, just like when you trim a branch, that it encourages new growth from that point.
It's worth cutting the bag off a new plant rather that pulling the plant out as this will help keep any new feeder roots, that may have started to grow, intact.

 
Always plant to the same depth that the rose was in the bag, although with new plants the stock may have been too long to get exactly right in the bag. Often one can see where the rose was planted to (before lifting) by the discolouration on the root stock, but rule of thumb; ensure planting is just below the graft union. Don't be tempted to bury the graft union. 
The same advice applies to Trees and Standard Roses regarding the pros and cons of planting. In the case of trees and standard roses the discolouration should be quite apparent on the trunk or stem, and again, don't bury the graft union. It is quite important though, to stake these types of plants to stop them from moving in the wind, as that can also cause all the new developing roots to break.
It is also the season for planting hedges, shelters, reveg projects or a garden reno, or maybe even a new orchard?
Winter time is one our most exciting times of the year as all the new stock arrives for, well mostly, the entire year. So whether it's a Rose, Fruit or Ornamental tree, or even perhaps Camellias, Rhodos or Proteas, then the range is never better than now. Just keep in mind that while you can put the Deciduous and Fruit trees on your waitlist now, many won't be here until July.

 
In very general terms the rules of planting are probably the same for all. Here they are again in a nut shell. Dig the hole larger that the plant and break up the soil; this means it's easy to manoeuvre your chosen plant to the correct depth. Rule of thumb, always plant no deeper than the depth in the container, don't over do the compost or if unsure apply on top after planting. Make sure that you firm all the soil back so that your newly planted plant is good and solid in the soil. Water in after planting and you probably won't need to water again at this time of year. Slow release tabs are good and add a base feed for up to a year, so chuck one in the hole at planting time.
HEDGES ARE SO WORTH THE EFFORT
There is nothing quite like a well-kept, fabulous Hedge, whether it be for creating a space in the garden, making privacy or screening out neighbours or a not-so-nice view. Compared to a timber fence they are reasonably economic and you can grow them to what ever height you require... Well that comes with a disclaimer, i.e. some of my experience, in that a hedge of around 1.2 to 1.5 is manageable but as they get too tall they may require trestles and planks etc. for maintenance.
It's worth doing some good prep before you plant and that is to create a bed for your hedge plants, like you would any other garden. Generally I would mark it out using string lines for the length that you want to hedge and a width of around 70cm, aiming to plant the centre at approx. 70cm spacing though no further than one metre.

 
First step would be to spray off or remove the turf. If you just spray off then I would cut the outside lines with a spade so that you have a nicely shaped edge to return a mulch layer to. It's always worth digging each planting hole properly by digging to more than the depth and width of the plant and chopping the soil up into a fine crumbly state so that planting is nice and easy. Incorporate some organic matter if your soil is sandy and free draining, but do less if you have heavy or clay soils. Garden mix is great for planting new plants but mix well through your soil. 
Plant your chosen hedge plants no deeper than it is in the bag or you could plant slightly proud if you are going to add a mulch layer to the top, which I would recommend. If you use mega mulch or a shredded bark this will help suppress the weeds. Measure your plant spacings and plant to a string line to get a neat sharp finish. Turn the widest side of your chosen plant into the centre so that it will fill in that way sooner.
Lastly, it is well worth keeping the weeds controlled until your hedge has grown, as once established it will pretty well keep all the weeds down without much help as the exclusion of light reduces areas for weeds to grow.

 
Great choices for hedging that don't mind constant trimming and have a long life: Holly or Ilex and these ones don't have prickles as such. Ilex Lago has become quite popular in Auckland and looks fab. Ilex Hendersonii has a larger leaf but is equally as attractive. Sweet Bay or Laurus Nobilis and it various clones like Pride of Provence or Tuscan Towers make for great long-life hedges as we have an example in the nursery that must be at least 30 years old. Then, of course, there are plenty of Camellia sasanquas to choose from, which all make for a stunning hedge and the bonus of Autumn flowers.
Just arrived in
Daphne is rightly famous for its gorgeous scent. Perfect for the entranceway, where they welcome both home-owners and guests with their powerful and deliciously perfumed blooms. Another great thing about Daphne is that they flower during the winter (and early spring) when many others plants are dormant. Daphne Odora Leucanthe is the old classic pink version, but there is also a closely related variety with white flowers Daphne Alba. Both of these traditional varieties prefer semi-shade or morning sun and afternoon shade. 

 
If you are after a more sun-tolerant variety, then try one of the newer hybrids such as Daphne Perfume Princess or Perfume Princess White which have just arrived in this week. These hybrids have larger flowers than the oldies: but they still have that beautiful, strong, signature scent.
Which-ever variety of Daphne you choose, it will thrive as long as you meet it's moisture requirements (moist, but NOT wet) and keep it away from lime. You can grow them in pots if you wish, as long as the pot is large enough and you don't let them dry out. You can see further tips for growing Daphne here.
Waikato rose society at Wairere... Bookmark these dates
Question and Answer sessions here at the nursery with the Waikato rose society. Their field of expertise is Roses and they love to share their knowledge with all. Being a nursery that specialises in all kinds of roses, it is great to have them here.
Mark these dates in your Calendar... we have tried to get a variety of times and dates so that hopefully there is at least one that will suit everyone: 
Wednesday 9th July 10.30am to 12.30pm
Saturday 19th July 1pm to 3pm
Sunday 27th July 11 am to 1pm. 


 
This week seems to have rolled past exceptionally fast. I think that it was because Monday was a holiday and then before you know it, the working week is past and we are into another weekend. Just another quick reminder, whilst on about public holidays, in that there is Matariki coming up on Friday the 20th of June and we will be open all day as usual.
Thank goodness the shortest day is looming as I am not so keen on these dark mornings and what seems afternoons, then we will be back on the long slope again to the longest day. Usually, once we have past the shortest day we tend to get the more winter-like weather which makes sense as once past the solstice we are officially in winter.
I think that more winter weather is meant to roll in and cool down over the weekend, with some zeros in the mornings on my weather app., so cover or move any thing that is frost tender. In case you need them, we now sell some neat Frost Cover Bags with zippers to make it easier to protect you precious plants. We also have Vaporgard which forms a non-toxic protective film over tender foliage to protect it from both frost and UV radiation. Hopefully the weather that brings us frosty mornings will also bring some sunny days with it. 

 
Take care and have a fab weekend if you are out and about.
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.

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826 Gordonton Road, R D 1, Hamilton 3281 Ph: (07) 824 3430 Email: